Magnetic recording medium comprising a non-magnetic support having coated thereon a magnetic coating composition having dispersed therein ferromagnetic particles consisting of acicular crystals such as Co-containing magnetic iron oxide or CrO.sub.2 has been widely used for magnetic recording and replaying. However, improvements of recording density have recently been strongly required. As a result, it has been attempted to make particles of Co-containing magnetic iron oxide finer and finer. However, such particles have not proven satisfactory for increased reproduced output in a high frequency region of shorter wavelength. The reproduced output has been considerably improved by adding ferromagnetic alloy particles to the magnetic layer. However, when ferromagnetic alloy particles are only included in the magnetic layer, there is a disadvantage that better running durability cannot be obtained.
Ferromagnetic particles of tabular hexagonal ferrite type has recently been developed. In the magnetic recording medium using ferromagnetic particles of this type, output in a high frequency region of shorter wave length is high, but the output in a low frequency region of longer wavelength is low.
In order to overcome the above disadvantage, it has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 212623/82 that magnetic particles of barium ferrite type and magnetic particles of .gamma.-Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 type be included in combination in the magnetic layer. (The term "OPI" as used herein means a "published unexamined Japanese patent application".) Yet, higher output in the entire frequency region cannot be obtained by this method.
Inventors of the present invention have produced a magnetic tape by mixing ferromagnetic alloy particles and magnetic particles of hexagonal crystallized ferrite type and have found no remarkable improvements of reproduced output.
The inventors have made extensive researches as to the combination of materials of ferromagnetic metal particles and magnetic particles of barium ferrite type and the construction of the magnetic layer. As a result, it has been found that high output from a low frequency region to a high frequency region can be obtained and running durability can unexpectedly be improved when on a first magnetic layer containing ferromagnetic alloy particles, a second extremely thin magnetic layer containing magnetic particles of hexagonal crystallized ferrite type is provided.